Aussie Music Blogs

In recent times, Australian music blogging has flourished, to the point that we now represent almost 0.001% of the American equivalents. During this rise of the Aussie music blog, it has been encouraging to see that much support has been shown between the emerging players, support that I myself have benefited from. And so it is time for me to return the favour and tell you about some of the great Aussie music blogs that you may find interesting. But don’t think I’m doing this purely out of obligation; these are sites that I enjoy myself and genuinely recommend you check out. Plus, many of these sites offer something quite different to what I do and we all know a little variety is always good. Just promise you won’t abandon me for them. They are:

Regularly Visited

• The Sandwich Club – This site is probably the most comprehensive Aussie music blog around. It even has its own monthly gig! These guys have a sense of humour, great tastes in music and never ending supply sandwich metaphors. They feature the best music from all over the world.
• Who The Bloody Are They? – The site is purely devoted to the noble task of exposing great Australian talent and is a nice way to get to know some of our best. You hear about a new artist each day and are given audio streams to sample
• Get Big, Little Kid – Another great little site offering interesting odds and ends. This includes news, band info, mp3s and gig guides.

Should Probably Visit More Often

• A Reminder
• Whiteboydancefloor
• Twelve Mjaor Chords
• Jack’s Lounge

Not Quite 'Music Blogs'

• Boudist – Photos from a great Sydney photographer. Some are so good that I’ve used them here
• Rocking Hoarse – A Sydney gig guide that offers comprehensive information on what’s happening around town.

If I’ve missed anyone out or made any mistakes, let me know and I’ll fix it. Enjoy!

Bishop Allen

I’ve talked about intimacy and closeness in bands before, but Bishop Allen perhaps do it best off all. Whenever I listen to their music I feel like they’re performing it directly to me (expensive headphones definitely help). It’s a weird effect for sure, but it gives you a warm feeling and makes each song sound uniquely special. But this is just one in a number of things that make these Brooklyn based band rather unorthodox. Firstly, they don’t stick to conventional song structures, rather doing whatever seems to sound good. It’s something that may turn off the purists but we will be welcomed by anyone looking for a fresh sound. But what’s even more out of the ordinary is that this year these crazy kids are releasing a 4-track EP each month. That’s 48 tracks in a year, an impressive feat for any band. But what’s surprising is that the quality hasn’t been (too) compromised. While many of the songs wouldn’t have made it to record under normal circumstances and occasionally sound rushed, not a month has gone by without a brilliant song being released. Hopefully they’ll release an album at the end of the year with a song from each month so the great material doesn’t get lost in this sea of excessive releases.

Busted Heart – This song is taken off their debut album, Charm School, the record that made me come to love them. I wanted to include this song because while I mentioned that they can be very intimate, I forgot to say how they can also be incredibly fun. I think this song sums up the point well.

The Same Fire – This song is simply beautiful. With music so clean and lyrics so heartfelt, it rises above its monthly counterparts. It was released on the August edition, which actually deviated from the formula, including a number of live tracks. I also highly recommend “The News From Your Bed” off the February EP

The Crayon Fields - Animal Bells

I bought this record to prepare myself for a gig I never went to. But despite the disappointment of missing this such gig, at least I managed to get something positive out of the whole experience. For this debut effort from Melbourne group The Crayon Fields is a treat. I laughed when I put it into iTunes and the genre came up as “children’s music”, but when you think about it, it’s not too far from the truth. While it may be a patronising and generalised description, it accurately captures the accessibility, catchiness, simplicity and overall joyfulness of their music. The sound they create is one you’ll either warm to or gawk at. It is generally a refrained sound, slow and soft, with vocals sounding like little more than a whisper. But this intimate sound flourishes as the vocal harmonies kick in keyboards run wild. And I simply could not write this without the mentioning the fact that they incorporate glockenspiels, triangles, maracas, hand claps and pretty much every possible ‘happy’ noise you can think of. Again, you’ll either love it or hate it.

Helicopters – For some reason this song was quick to stand out for me. Perhaps it was it’s slightly faster pace and my intrinsic like for such music. I’m in no way saying it goes off or anything, rather it just settles into a slightly more urgent rhythm while maintaining the familiar cool, collected and child-friendly sound I’ve come to love.

Living So Well – This song had to fight hard to make it here, just pipping “Impossible Things” at the post. It emerged victorious primarily for it’s vocal harmonies. Being such an integral part of their sound, it would just be wrong not to show them to you

Stars - Set Yourself On Fire

While one great voice is a plus for any band, two is clearly even better. This is especially so when you have one from each sex. For variety is a fickle art, all too often spoiled by mediocre secondary singers. Well I can safely tell you right here, right now, that Stars are band with two great singers, one male, one female and ample variety. Not only this but they have violins. Yes violins. It’s an increasingly popular trend of late but a welcome one nonetheless. Because when add this to the vocal work (and not mention electric guitars, keyboards and other cameo instruments) you have a recipe for great music. It is always pleasant, as you would have already guessed, the vocals ensure this, but perhaps they’re greatest material comes out when the tempo picks up. They lock into a rhythm and proceed to weave their magic. Stars are another of the excellent bands originating from Canada at the moment. In fact with three band members being part of the expansive indie-pop collective, Broken Social Scene, they are not just participating in this Canadian explosion but leading it. Sure, this album may have been released back in 2004 but it’s reasonably new to me and that’s all that counts. Besides, with the extremely high chance that some of you out there have never heard of Stars, there’s more than enough reason to be talking them up.

Reunion – On this track you will get to experience the female vocalist (Amy Millan) in all her glory. It’s just such an eloquent song, floating by seamlessly and bringing joy to all who welcome it.

What I’m Trying To Say – This song had to knock out their hit single (Ageless Beauty (check it out!)) in order to make it here today. But the variety of sounds it incorporates, especially the synthwork (is that a word?), makes it too good to pass by. Not only this but I’ve been singing it non-stop for the last few days, which must mean something.

Wolf & Cub - Vessels

Undoubtedly the first thing you’ll notice if you go to see Wolf & Cub live is that they have 2 drummers. It really is quite stupid when you think about it. I mean, surely having half your band on drums isn’t the most efficient way to allocate your resources. Especially when on record, ie this record, it isn’t especially noticeable (close attention will do the trick). But putting such sense aside, I must admit, it’s a pretty cool gimmick. Whilst on the topic of instruments, I should let you know that Wolf & Cub aren’t afraid to let them go alone, with at least two of the ten tracks being complete instrumentals. Normally such action would be seen in my eyes as mere procrastination and therefore undesirable, but somehow Wolf & Cub manage to get away with it. In fact I would say such procrastination is an integral part of their sound. The whole record seems to reflect the particular mood of the band at the time. For a great deal it feels like a relaxed jam, the guitars pick a sound and experiment for a while, vocals pop in and out with no great urgency and the drums just try to outdo each other with whatever comes to mind. But then all of sudden they’ll get a sudden burst of energy and all jump into action. The guitars settle into fast-paced rhythm, the vocals find their purpose and drummers justify their selection, providing direction and intensity. All these sounds gel together perfectly to create heart-racing music. Wolf & Cub hail from one of Australia’s ‘other’ capital cities, Adelaide, and with their debut album prove it is equally capable of producing the best.

This Mess – These two songs are the most likely ones that you’ve heardalready, but I included them regardless because to put it simply, they are the best. By best I mean best at getting you to like them, for the rest took quite a few listens before I’ve came to really appreciate the intricacies.

Steal Their Gold – While both these songs are the best examples of when the band snaps into action, this song is especially good at highlighting the intensity they reach. It’s also like two songs in one; first the radio-worthy piece and then the random instrumentation. Welcome to Wolf & Cub.

CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy

Never did I think I would be writing about this band. Surely some girl band from Brazil making a dirty blend of electronica and indie-rock could never be worthy of a mention. Despite finding their first single incredibly catchy, I thought it was nothing more than a novelty. Then again, Sub Pop, perhaps the only record label I respect (or care about) enough to take notice of, have snatched them up to share with the rest of the world, meaning they must have something going for them. So I eventually looked into their album, and actually found it to be quite enjoyable. Truth is, I don’t generally like electro music, but Cansei De Ser Sexy (CSS for short) seem to transcend this. Just like the first song I heard, this band is 100% novelty, but that’s what makes them so good. Right throughout it sounds like they’re having a ball and it definitely shows in their ridiculous lyrics and undeniably catchy beats. Any band whose name translates to “I’m tired of being sexy” or opens their album with the track “CSS Suxxx”, clearly doesn’t take themselves seriously. I highly recommend the album to anyone looking for a laugh or something to dance to. On the other hand, anyone who’s particular about the art of creating music should probably keep very clear of it.

Let’s Make Love And Listen Death From Above – Despite having way too many syllables for any track title, this is one catchy song. You may have guessed that this is the ‘first single’ I talked about earlier. It took a couple of listens to really sink in, but soon after I was moving about and forgetting what I was previously doing every time it came on.

Alcohol – This song is a prime example of everything this bands does best. It employs an instantly lovable yet easily forgettable tune, along with some utterly ridiculous lyrics (“am I a horse, am I on fire?”)

Sydney Music!!

If you previously thought I lacked the necessary local music for a Sydney music blog, think it no more. Over the next 10 days you will be hearing about 20 of the best Sydney bands (yes, that’s two every day). By no means is this a definitive guide to Sydney music scene but simply a snapshot (a comprehensive one at that) of what’s out there, waiting to be enjoyed. These are the bands you should go and see live. These are the bands whose records you should buy (not just because you CAN’T find them on the internet but because they deserve it). Here you will find descriptions of three-fold proportions, pictures for vision, text for knowledge and of course a sample mp3 so you can hear what they actually sound like. So without further ado, let me introduce:

Belles Will Ring

Bertie Blackman

Bridezilla

The Cops

D'arcy

Dappled Cities Fly

Expatriate

Gerling

Howling Bells

I [Love] Space

La Huva

Mercy Arms

Old Man River

The Paper Scissors

Pinky Tuscadero

Starky

Red Riders

The Valentinos

Wolfmother

Youth Group

Plus more...